ED Nature Watch

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

It's not ED but I've just seen a wonderful display of swifts/swallows (can never tell the difference) swooping in the dusk at Burgess Park.

[lizbells6]

Heard a squeaking from the garden yesterday and looked out to see a sparrow hawk had landed on the decking just outside the back door. After a minute or so, it flew off carrying a mouse.

[Otto]

We've some frogs in our garden for the first time ever - one of them was screaming like a crazed cat - never encountered a screaming frog before. Have also seem a few of the beautiful moths this week...

[the-e-dealer]

Brown butterfly outside my front door this morning!

[Mousey McP]

For the past month or so there has been a Pair of Red Admirals that i have seen regularly fluttering around the Path of Goose Green leading to St Johns

[Sue]

They seem to have had a relatively long life span then, if it is the same two - lucky them :)

[Sue]

Yesterday (during the day) I saw a dead sparrow lying on the pavement in Ulverscroft Road.

It didn't have any obvious signs of injury.

It seemed to be quite young, though it was hard to tell.

It's quite unusual to see dead birds around at all, so I wonder if anybody can shed any light as to what might have happened? The flies were beginning to gather :(

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Payback for Cock Robin.

[Sue]

:)) :)) :))

[chichirara]

I saw a female pheasant at my allotment yesterday! Gunsite Plot Dulwich, never seen her before are they living in Dulwich Woods

[Frenchpolisher]

Hi Chichirara

I have heard of them occasionally being spotted in the area but I don't believe they're living in the woods. I don't think they'd get on with all the dogs to be honest. I believe some of these species use the railway lines as corridors into our cities from more rural areas.

[Sue]

Sorry, returning to hedgehogs - some very sweet pics on the British Hedgehog Preservation Society's Facebook page!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/British-Hedgehog-Preservation-Society/273196350835

Oops, just realised the ED hedgehog discussion wasn't on this thread, apologies.

[KirstyH]

Lovely small grouping of long-tailed tits in street trees, Nunhead (at slight risk of being street weirdo with the bins out the window, but there we go). Bright in the greyness.

[Sue]

OMG I just ventured into the garden to see what might be braving the cold weather and coming up, and put my arm into my tub to pull out some dead leaves at the bottom.

At the third trawl I pulled up a very large, pale-looking frog (alive thank goodness).

Not sure who was more surprised, but he or she very quickly swam back to the bottom again .....

Hope I haven't hurt him :(

[Rianoo]

Does the frog have a way out of the tub if it chooses ?

[Sue]

Yes, there is a pile of bricks :)

[Ann]

What a nice surprise! Guessing that the frog has survived by himself so far and may continue to so, Sue has provided an appropriate environment.

On another subject is anyone else disappointed with the (lack of) daffodils on Goose Green this year?

We know we've had a harsh winter but the daffodils in other public places seem to have survived; you can count the blooms on Goose Green!

[lousmith]

Despite the grim weather, its business as usual at the bottom of ponds!

[Sue]

What a brilliant video! Love the sound effects!

My poor solitary (Ithink) froggy is really missing out on the fun :(

[LauraW]

I saw two green woodpeckers in Camberwell Old Cemetery on Sunday.

[Sue]

Ann Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> On another subject is anyone else disappointed

> with the (lack of) daffodils on Goose Green this

> year?

>

> We know we've had a harsh winter but the daffodils

> in other public places seem to have survived; you

> can count the blooms on Goose Green!

xxxxxx

I haven't seen them yet but it's possible they're a later-blooming variety, or else there is some other reason why the ones on Goose Green are flowering later.

I doubt very much whether the weather would affect daffodils so much that they wouldn't flower at all.

Some of mine are only coming into flower very gradually, with only a bloom or two as yet and mostly still buds.

ETA: After much googling (mine not the frog's), it seems that the frog in my tub is hibernating. I never knew that some types of frog hibernate under water. So much for my creating cosy potential hibernation places at the back of my garden. I just hope I haven't caused him to expend too much energy in having to re-hibernate :(

I can see him spread-eagled at the bottom of the tub, now I know he's there (apparently he will be a he and not a she). He looks very dead but apparently that is indeed how hibernating frogs look. If the water starts going manky I will know I have killed him and he's decomposing :( so let's hope it doesn't.

Good news about the woodpeckers!

Lovely to hear a blackbird singing again at the end of the day, despite the cold.

[tiddles]

anyone used compost accelerators? are they any good?

[ianr]

I've spotted the occasional early house moth in the last week or two.

[Sue]

ianr Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I've spotted the occasional early house moth in

> the last week or two.

xxxxxx

Sadly so have I. Keeping a close eye and making sure my stocks of moth repellant/killer are plentiful!

Don't know where they've come from as thought I had solved my moth problem!

[yeknomyeknom]

Yep, also seen the return of the dreaded moth a few weeks ago.